Book Review: The Golden Lily (Richelle Mead)

Book: 11/100

I have been meaning to blog about this book for ages, but I am always daunted by the task as soon as I start typing. I loved this book, but there are so many things that happen in it that my post would become either very long or boring. Also, I don’t want to say too many things, because I think it would be awesome if some of you gave this series a try. So here is it, without any spoilers J

The Golden Lily starts almost immediately where Bloodlines ended. Sydney is instructed to go to a underground bunker during the night. She arrives, and sees what has happened to Keith Darnell in the past few months that he has been detained in the re-education camps by the Alchemists. Keith seems crazy and even Sydney, who hates him, feels sympathy towards him. She testifies that she knows he hates vampires, but he is still rotten as a person. It amazes her that Keith’s father couldn’t care less about his son’s terrible personality, as long as he remembers to never accept vampires. This makes Sydney realise once again how serious it would be to allow her to become more attached to her vampire friends.

Back at Amberwood Prep, she deals with Jill’s heartache over her dead (and crazy) boyfriend Lee Donahue. When Jill starts dating a human, Micah, Sydney decides not to interfere, seeing it as a teenage romance and knowing that Jill is a very responsible Jill. It is obvious to Sydney that the dhampir with them, Eddie, is still in love with Jill, even though he chooses to protect her instead of acknowledging his feelings.

While they have time off, Sydney helps the team, led by Sonya Karp and Dimitri Belikov, a dhampir and Moroi who were once Strigoi, to search for the explanation to why a being returned from Strigoi state to their natural forms can’t be turned into Strigoi again. As they remember the Strigoi not able to drink blood from Sydney, they want to take some of her blood to test. This freaks her out, and when they try to pressure her into it, Adrian explodes in her defence. This startles Sydney, and starts to awaken the girl in her, and amazes her that he could feel that protective towards her.

Sydney is incredible naïve towards men. When her friend Trey introduces her to a work colleague, Brayden, she is stunned that he likes her enough to want to date her. Brayden is like Sydney in male form – controlled, highly intelligent, serious. They start to date, and when he finally kisses her, she is let down by how she is unmoved by him. On a trip with Adrian to see his father, it turns out disastrously. Adrian and Sydney briefly touch, and she feels everything she is supposed to feel with Brayden.

When Sonya is attacked and taken captive by a break away sect of the Alchemists, the Warriors of Light, Sydney realises she needs to save her friend. When she finds out that Trey is part of the group, she organises to go speak to his leaders to save Sonya. She arrives at the building, and even with her master negotiating skills she is unable to convince them to let Sonya go. Just when she thinks it is too late, a bunch of Dhampir guardians storm the building to save them both. Sydney nearly doesn’t escape, but once outside, she is found by Adrian who helps her get out. When she learns that they had planned the rescue all along, she is angry with them all, especially Adrian, for having no faith in her skills.

Sydney and Brayden eventually break up, and instead of being sad she is delighted when he calls her irresponsible. She goes to tell Adrian what happened, and they finally kiss. The book ends where she tells him no matter what happens, she will never be able to be with him.

Rating: 7/10

I couldn’t stop reading this book! I finished it in two days, then repeatedly went back to rehash it all. It was really mesmerising and well written. The character development is done so well. Adrian becomes the hero, and his courage is just so hot (haha). Richelle Mead really did a great job with him and Sydney. Everything for impossible romance is there: two totally different people, opposing beliefs and impossible circumstances. I really think many people would like these books, because it really isn’t just another romance vampire book. Ultimately, it is about a girl who realises that even that she was taught something her entire life, she doesn’t need to ultimately stick to it.

Read about book one: Bloodlines, here

March 27, 2013 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: 100 books, Adrian Ivashkov, Bloodlines, Books, Golden Lily, Reading, Reviews, Richelle Mead, Sydney Sage, vampires 3 Comments